William Lantigua has ‘faith’ he’ll win

Credit: Christopher Evans

Lawrence Mayor William Lantigua is seen inside his campaign headquarters.

Credit: Christopher Evans

FRESH START: The inauguration of Lawrence Mayor Daniel Rivera who defeated William Lantigua gives a longtime resident hope for the future.

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Embattled Lawrence Mayor William Lantigua said he has “faith” that he’ll prevail in his re-election bid while his challenger — up by 60 votes in the unofficial count — said he’s eager to turn the “lights” on in city government.

“I won. It’s going to stay that way,” insisted City Council Vice President Daniel Rivera. “We feel there’s a new day in Lawrence.”

The city elections office and the Secretary of State’s Office were unable to confirm whether Lantigua has launched a recount petition process. He has 10 days after Tuesday’s election to act. Lantigua declined to comment on a recount, saying only, “I don’t lose faith. Faith is what keeps me going. It’s the only thing I have. Right now everything is cool, collected. Just waiting for things to get back into order.”

Rivera said, “We’ve got to stay focused. If the mayor thinks it’s in his best interest to call a recall — because it’s not in the city’s best interest, but rather his best interest — we’ll go along with it. Then we’ll move on.”

The Lantigua administration has been plagued by state and federal investigations, with several indictments of Lantigua aides.

“I hope to regain the trust of our residents because our taxpayers deserve to know where their money is going,” Rivera said. “It’s like the lights in your house. When you flip the switch, they should work. Our current city government has committed questionable actions.”